Accusation TwoMistakes in Bible Translations

St Jerome's Mistake

Whilst translating the passage from Isaiah 14:12, St Jerome came across the section in Hebrew that referred to the Babylonian king in the following words: 'How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! ' The way the text is written, it is clear that the writer is mocking the king, and probably using words the king used about himself whilst he was alive. It is likely therefore that the Babylonian king in question referred to himself as the 'son of dawn' or was referred to as such by his courtiers. St Jerome had little choice but to use the Latin word he knew that best described 'Day star - son of dawn' and this word was Lucifer. In no way does this section from Isaiah relate to the Devil - it clearly describes a man who was a living, breathing, perfectly mortal king. However, onto the back of this mistranslation a whole legend has been heaped. The Lucifer of St Jerome's translation has become associated with the Devil, otherwise known as Satan, who Biblical stories suggest was a powerful angel who rebelled against God soon after creation and was cast out of heaven. Prior to the translation and misinterpretation that sprang from it, the Devil could never have been known as Lucifer, a word that meant something entirely different.

A Word of Warning

In his book, Albert Pike was speaking figuratively about Lucifer and was using the word in its correct meaning. Anyone reading the whole section will become instantly aware that Pike was talking about 'illumination' and not about the dark forces. However, in the years that I have been looking closely at the Craft I have become increasingly aware that almost everything spoken in Freemasonic ceremony or conventions, together with much of the symbolism involved can be taken in more than one way. So whilst I am certain that the Lucifer of Albert Pike's monumental work was never intended to have anything to do with the Devil, the fact that he used such a word is very telling in itself. This is best dealt with when we get to the accusation that Freemasons have their own deity or deities.

The Legend of Tubal-Cain

Another explanation for the apparent Devil worship of Freemasons comes from their use of the propper name 'Tubal-Cain, in some versions of the third degree ceremony. Tubal-Cain (or Tubal cain) is a character mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible in Genesis 4:22. Modern linguists suggest that 'cain' is not actually a part of his name but refers to the fact that he was a smith, in other words a man who worked forming and shaping metal. Some Evangelical Christians take this fact, together with the way Freemasons use the name, as more proof that Freemasons are Devil worshippers. During Freemasonic ritual a candidate is asked: 'Who was Tubal-Cain?'. The reply is 'He is the Vulcan of the Pagans.' This seems fair enough because in the section from Genesis mentioning Tubal-Cain he is beating metal to make a ploughshare. In Roman mythology the 'smith' of the Gods was called Vulcan - a god who regularly worked metal. It is therefore obvious that this statement in Freemasonic ritual is merely 'enlikening' the Tubal-Cain of the Old Testament to Vulcan in the more ancient religion. It is making an analogy and inferring that Tubal Cain seved the same purpose as Vulcan. This may of may not associate Freemasonry with paganism but it has nothing whatsoever to do with the Devil. Once again, in Roman paganism Vulcan was not an evil deity. Rather he worked for and on behalf of the good of humanity (even though like all the Roman deities he could be somewhat difficult to deal with on occasions.)Any Christian who referred to God as being 'the Sun of humanity' would be just as guilty but in fact would merely be speaking poetically.